XXXII. Mom

Raine’s POV:

I stared at the ceiling.

The bedroom I’m in was an exciting place like three seconds ago with the large soft bed and waste of a lavish space bathroom. Now, I’m bored. There’s nothing in here except my cell phone, which is desperately hanging onto its lifeline. My phone ran out of battery earlier, and they lost my charger while transporting my luggage. Since I have an old model, the pack members had to savage a new charger around town.

Apparently, my phone is the type of phone that people would say: “There’s someone who still uses that dinosaur?”

I used to say that same time to my mom all the time.

I’m becoming my mom faster than I thought. I know, one day, I’ll be yelling at youngsters to get their lives together. And youngsters will tell me to catch up with the latest technology. But, I never expected that day to come so soon.

Now, it’s charging.

Slowly.

Deadly.

I want to kill myself.

I turn my head to the right to see the large closet, with nothing inside. It’s just a dark empty room. I can tell no one expected me to be here. Not a single person came to greet me except for when they gave me the charger.

I’m bored.

Back in the human community, there’s always something for me to do. Go to school, study, play video games, work, or hang out with Helen and Cory.

Now, it’s just me.

In a large room.

In a strange town.

With no one to talk to.

I turned to my left, and the large patio came into view. Steadily, I made my way towards it. My arms spread the royal blue curtains to show the miles of darkness. I twist the doors open, and a light breeze enters the room. There’s a metal table and chair outside. When I sit down, the coolness of the metal engulfs my body. I exhale the fresh air.

How long has it been since I sat in silence?

The silence caressed every inch of my body and somehow soothed my soul. It’s been one hell of a day. I stared at the forest; everything seemingly merged in the darkness. But above it, lies something else. In every direction, there is a star. In both worlds, the most common thing seems to be the untold billions of celestial objects in the nighttime sky.

And the memories return.

***

A fire crackled in the campsite; the light projects a long shadow around us. One that seemingly merges with the darkness. I can hear an owl from a distance. Somehow, it didn’t scare me. Then again, maybe it’s because I have someone beside me that vows to protect me. I pointed to the sky, “Daddy, what’s that?”

Dad held me closer on his lap and looked up. He chuckles, “That’s Sirius.”

I look at him, “Serious?”

Mom laughed, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she rests her head against dad’s shoulder. “Sirius. It came from Ancient Greek, Seirios. It means, glowing or scorcher. It’s the brightest star in the sky.”

“Why is it so bright?” I can feel the gap between my teeth, forcing a rasping sound each time I said a word.

Dad adjusted me on his lap, “The reason why it’s so bright is that it’s super close to us. And it will only get closer.”

“Why?”

“Because, one day, it’s going to give everyone a big hug!” He presses his cheek against mine and squeezes me tightly.

I giggle when his prickly hair scraps against my skin. “That’s silly.”

“Well, the truth is-” he whispers beside my ear. “Sirius is a place where our world Angels, Protectors, and many others are trained to help us. Since they’re close by, they can come faster if something happens.” Mom giggles beside him and curls in further. She had always loved dad’s stories, like me.

She said dad was her little alien because he is different from anyone she had ever met.

He talked as if he wasn’t from this world.

My eyes widened, “What?”

He looks back up, “Deep inside, Sirius is a magical place that makes the best warriors in this universe.”

“What about other universes?” I’m proud of myself for knowing this stuff.

Dad exhales softly, “That’s why there are so many stars. Each star is its own world,” he said. “Look-” he points towards another star. I tilt my head and concentrate until I can pin what he is pointing at. “That star is called Polaris or the North Star. Some call it Alpha Ursae Minoris because it is the alpha star in the constellation Ursa Minor. That’s where everything magical came from-”

I tilt my head to the other side to get a better understanding.

“That is the star that links our world and every other world, together.”

“Cool. That’s a cool star.”

He laughs, “Want to know something else?”

I look at him and nod eagerly.

“The Polaris wasn’t always the north star. Many years ago, before even your mom and I was born-”

I gasp, “That’s a long time!”

They both laughed. “Indeed, it is.” The fire cracks and dad’s smile only widened. “Our world used to be one with another world.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means-” he grabbed a stick from the ground and grew a circle in the dirt. “back then, after the big boom of our universe. We had a world filled with magical creatures.”

“Like mermaids?”

He nods, “Like mermaids.” The breeze blows lightly against our exposed skin. “But something happened.”

I gasp, “What happened?”

“Your grandma would always say that a war happened. A man traveled back in time and changed history. He split-” he drew a line in the middle, “the Earth into two. Magical creatures on one side and humans on the other.”

“Why would he do that?” I ask. “Having mermaids is cool!”

He smiles dimly, “He believes that humanity is not strong enough to protect themselves, and eventually, all the magical creatures will hurt them.”

“That’s bad,” I said.

He nods, “It is.”

“Then what happened?”

“So, some people-” He drew stick figures on both sides. “Some people choose to follow the magical creatures while others choose to stay. Humanity was split into two.”

I pout, “That’s sad.”

“But, it’s not the end of the story.” He smiles, “They say that one day, the two worlds will collide and become one again.”

“So, there’s no more magic here?”

Dad smiled his everlasting pleasant one. “I wouldn’t say that.” He turns me around and pushes my hair back. “Remember Raine. There’s always magic around you even when you can’t see it.”

“I don’t understand.”

He pokes a finger towards my chest, “Everyone has a bit of magic inside of them.”

My eyes widen, and I gasp. I cover my mouth with my hands. “I have magic?”

He smiles.

I jump off of his lap. “I have magic!” I scream. I look at the fire, “Abracadabra! Dance!”

The fire moves, and I move along with it.

Mom and dad burst out laughing.

It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

***

My eyes shifted from side to side as I continued to stare at the stars. Then, it came. When I blinked, they dropped from my eyelids and slid down my cheeks. I bit my lower lip tightly in an attempt to hide away the cry that wants to escape.

My body curls into a shaky ball.

“Dad. I miss you.”

I wish he’s still alive. That way, mom wouldn’t be lonely right now.

That night, I fell asleep on the balcony.

***

The sound of bird chirps woke me up. Steadily, I adjusted my vision. A light yawn escaped my throat, and I stood up to stretch my body. I scratched my head and made my way towards the bathroom.

My legs stop.

I look around.

I turn my body and look at the photos hanging on the wall.

It’s my family picture.

My eyes dashed from left to right to see my house’s hallways. Immediately, I raced downstairs. “Mom?” I scream. “Mom!”

There she was, sitting at the dining table with her back facing me.

I smile, “Mom!” I rush towards her. “Mom! I’m bac-” My arms went through her. My head drops down to my hands. I walked around the table until her face came into view.

Pale skin. Pale as paper. Hollow cheeks. The strap on her bony shoulder dropped down.

She got skinnier.

I look down at her fingers, which were once plump hands. The fingers appeared longer, and her knuckles were more prominent. It seems like it would break any second.

“Raine,” she mumbles, the tears drip down her cheeks. “Don’t worry. Mommy will find you.”

The sound of sink water echoes inside the door.

She smiles, but it wasn’t one of happiness. It was the same smile she used to give me when dad passed. “Be strong for mommy, okay? I’ll get you soon.”

The doorbell rings, and I look up. Steadily, she rested down the photo of me and made her way towards the door. I followed her. She opened it, and a dashing man came into view. “Hello, Mr.Harrison.”

He smiles, “Hello, Susan.” That was a tone I never heard from Mr.Harrison.

Mom exhales softly, “How can I help you, Mr.Harrison?”

“Still as formal as ever, I see.” His smile was still soft.

“What do you want, Hanson?” Now, that was something I never expected from my mom.

I’m confident this is a dream now.

“I wanted to see how you are.”

“I’m fine.”

His eyes scanned my mom’s body. “You don’t seem fine.”

“I’m fine.” Her tone was much more aggressive. “They’ll find Raine.”

“I never said they wouldn’t.” He exhales softly through his nostrils. “Don’t do this to yourself,” he said.

“What I do with my life is my decision. I appreciated that you took in my daughter and took care of her, but it doesn’t mean that I owe you anything.”

“Your daughter is brilliant like her father. There is no need for me to pull any strings.”

“I know she’s brilliant. I raised her.”

The edge of his lip quirk, “You haven’t changed a bit since high school.”